


A Kiss For Just Us

by tranquilsea



Category: DCU (Comics), Justice League (2017), Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Arthur Curry POV, Barry Allen & Iris West Friendship, Barry Allen-centric, Barry Kisses Bruce, Barry Kisses Everyone, Friendly kisses, Friendship/Love, Gen, Good Luck Kisses, M/M, Minor Barry Allen/Iris West, Minor Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Multi, Nicknames, Polyamory, Team Bonding, Victory Kisses, innocent kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-02-10 16:16:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12915549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tranquilsea/pseuds/tranquilsea
Summary: Arthur sneaks into the Bat's lab to find some alcohol when said Bat walks in to prepare for the next Justice League mission. Then the Flash zooms in and gives the unflappable Bat a quick kiss.Then Barry slowly starts giving the League kisses too. Except for him.  It's quite annoying.When Barry does start giving him kisses, things become more complicated than Arthur ever expected.





	1. A Kiss For Safe Return

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [kiss me sweetly](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10611918) by [georgiehensley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgiehensley/pseuds/georgiehensley). 



> As always, I do not own any of the DC characters or comics.
> 
> This work is meant to written from Arthur's point of view. In the recent Justice League (2017) movie, he seemed like the kind of person who calls it like it is and doesn't shy away from situations. In my head-canon, he has given various members of the JL nicknames:
> 
> Shrimp: Flash - Barry Allen  
> Bat: Batman - Bruce Wayne  
> Three-Eyes: Cyborg - Victor Stone  
> Princess: Wonder Woman - Diana Prince  
> Boy-Scout: Superman - Clark Kent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur spies the Shrimp giving the Bat a kiss.
> 
> He tries to persuade the Shrimp to give him a kiss, without success.
> 
> It's more annoying than Arthur wants to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do not own any of the DC characters or comics.
> 
> This work is meant to written from Arthur's point of view. In the recent Justice League (2017) movie, he seemed like the kind of person who calls it like it is and doesn't shy away from situations. In my head-canon, he has given various members of the JL nicknames:
> 
> Shrimp: Flash - Barry Allen  
> Bat: Batman - Bruce Wayne  
> Three-Eyes: Cyborg - Victor Stone  
> Princess: Wonder Woman - Diana Prince  
> Boy-Scout: Superman - Clark Kent

* * *

 

The kiss was the Shrimp’s all right- awkward and rushed, a quick whisper of a kiss right against the surprised Bat’s lips.

* * *

Hidden safely in a dark corner of the balcony over-looking the lab, I stared down at the little piece of drama unfolding before my eyes.

I had quickly entered the top-level of Bat’s lab in search of some drink which I knew was bound to be hidden somewhere. My collection had suddenly vanished after a particularly heavy night featuring some very _ample_ young girls. The last time I had been inside the solitary Bat’s lab, I had caught a glimpse of some a fine collection of alcohol.

Looking carefully through the overly organised glass display cabinets, I grinned with triumph when I found a large crystal decanter filled with amber liquid. One large gulp later, and I quickly realised my mistake. Only the Bat would purposefully fill such beautiful containers with this horrible, tasteless mockery!

Hearing the whoosh of the lab doors, I startled, expecting to be caught. Retreating into the safety of a darkened corner, I watched as the Bat strode in, his black armoured boots loud on the concrete floor of the lab. He was getting ready for the next ‘job’, tracking the source of a new street drug which was rumoured to be linked to Lex Luthor.

Quick as a flash behind him came the Shrimp.

Then the Shrimp kissed him.

Wanting to observe the Bat’s reaction, I crouched down, making sure to remain out of the Bat’s line of sight as I watched curiously through the glass barrier.  

* * *

 

“What was that for?” growled the Bat, resuming his task of snapping his armour back into place, his motions brisk and efficient. He moved with the grace of a seasoned warrior as he slowly assembled together the suit that transformed him from Wayne into the Bat. The Bat looked down at the Shrimp, his intense dark eyes scrutinizing the kid.

“I have a job to do, Barry,” continued the Bat, his voice exasperated as the Shrimp clumsily got in his way as the Bat made his way around the lab, grabbing this toy or that from the various work-benches. Each time the Bat made his way to a new area in the lab, the Shrimp would flash over, stumbling over the neatly organised and arranged boxes and racks of Bat-themed paraphernalia.  Reaching around the Shrimp, the Bat picked up one of his tool belts, clicking it firmly into place.

“You know Bruce, you’re my first friend, so I think that makes you my best friend, maybe not yours, but mine, and I just, I just-” bumbled Barry, while the Bat impatiently waited, continuing with his preparations for his upcoming mission.

Barry barely paused for breath as he launched into his full explanation: “I just, I’m not good at this, and it’s nice that the rest of you seem so okay with fighting aliens, or taking out bad guys, and ‘doing the job that’s in front of you’ and that’s great. But I don’t care about all the triumphs, or victories- I just want you and everyone else, safe.”

“There’s always risks involved in this job,” replied the Bat brusquely, stepping past the interfering Shrimp.

“There’s risks, and there’s purposefully putting yourself in the path of wind-up exploding penguins,” murmured the Shrimp, tailing after the Bat as he made his out of the lab. In the space of a heartbeat, the Shrimp was standing stiffly in front of the exit, blocking the Bat from leaving. His wide brown eyes blinked up to the exasperated Bat’s for a brief second, before glancing away.

“Right. Not the best time to do this, but people can be so _slow_ sometimes.” The Shrimp barely paused before he continued in a breathless rush: “The kiss- it’s so you come back.”

“Hmph,” growled the Bat, his black coat swirling around him as he pushed his way past the Shrimp. “If my death is what gets the job done, I’ll make that trade.” With that, the Bat left the lab, the door slamming behind him.

“Wow, rude,” muttered the Shrimp, staring at the closed door in front of him.

* * *

 

Leaping from the dark corner I had hidden, I landed with a loud laugh in front of the Shrimp, tossing my long sea-bleached hair away from my face.

“If you were trying to get the Bat to stay, you gave him the wrong kind of kiss,” I smirked down at Shrimp, who was head or so shorter than me. The Shrimp squinted up at me, trying to determine whether I spoke true or false.

“Is there a manual for this kind of thing?” he asked, cocking his head in curiosity.

“Yes,” I replied, “You clearly need to re-read the manual. Several times.”

At this, the Shrimp turned the same colour as his suit, shuffling his feet gawkily.  I didn’t need to hear his hurried and mumbled explanation before I clapped a hefty hand to his small, slight shoulder.

“There is no shame in it, Shrimp,” I said, “You need only ask.” I gave him my most winning smile, my hand gripping his shoulder teasingly, all the while knowing it would anger him.

As planned, the Shrimp shifted his shoulder uncomfortably, and in a blur of speed, knocked aside my hand. “I’d rather Bruce.” He paused for a beat, and somewhat remembering his manners, thanked me uneasily.

“Bats?” I replied incredulously. “Perhaps you’ve been running too fast, Shrimp, because I am not sure if we are speaking about the same man.”

“That’s just plain mean,” replied the Shrimp. He almost looked as if he was disappointed in me for pointing out the obvious! “He’s the reason why we’re all here, together. Fighting the good fight and all that.”

“But,” I argued, “He does it dressed as a Bat. Besides, you and I could have some fun, unlike Mr. Doomsday.”

“Ah-huh. I’ll take my chances with Bruce, thanks.”

“Do as you like, little Shrimp. Perhaps Diana will take up my offer – there are no men on that Island of hers.”


	2. A Kiss For Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The League are called in to handle a Lex Luthor shaped giant robot which is wrecking Metropolis. 
> 
> As usual, they win the battle. Barry gives everyone "Victory kisses", expect Arthur. Apparently, despite the fact he helped win the fight, he hasn't earned his kisses yet. Additionally, there's only a 0.1% chance of him ever getting kisses from the Shrimp. 
> 
> It's more infuriating than Arthur wants to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do not own any of the DC characters or comics.
> 
> This work is meant to written from Arthur's point of view. In the recent Justice League (2017) movie, he seemed like the kind of person who calls it like it is and doesn't shy away from situations. In my head-canon, he has given various members of the JL nicknames:
> 
> Shrimp: Flash - Barry Allen  
> Bat: Batman - Bruce Wayne  
> Three-Eyes: Cyborg - Victor Stone  
> Princess: Wonder Woman - Diana Prince  
> Boy-Scout: Superman - Clark Kent

The drug issue that the Bat had been investigating on his earlier missions for the League had transformed from a small, minor issue to a giant humanoid robot in the shape of Lex Luthor terrorizing the streets of Metropolis. To make matters more interesting, it was directing a horde of enraged, angry mob to pillage and plunder everything and everyone in its path.

Apparently, the new drug the Bat had been investigating was not only extremely addictive, but made its users susceptible to mind control.

The police and local military were outnumbered and could not hope to make a dent in the heavy armour of the giant robot now destroying the city. They were also baffled on how to handle the thousands of civilians under the control of the Luthor-bot.

Thus, the fledgling Justice League was called in.

* * *

 

Perched on top of one of the many rooftops in the central area of the city, we gathered around Bruce as began to lay out his plan to defeat the Luthor-bot.

“I’m sorry, I stopped listening after ‘Giant Robot’”, gulped the Shrimp, looking anxiously at the humongous robotic shape of Lex Luthor which loomed over even the larger buildings of Metropolis.

“As I was saying,” continued the Bat pointedly, “I believe that the Luthor-bot has some form of antenna which is producing the signal which is controlling the civilians who took the drug. Dianna and Victor, you two will be working together to stop the signal.”

Professional as always, Three-Eyes and the Princess nodded, accepting the task the Bat had set them. Quietly they began to discuss potential weak points in Luthor-bot’s armour and strategies for disarming the antenna.

The Bat turned towards me, “Arthur, do you think that you could use your abilities to pacify the civilians and draw out any potential allies the Luthor-bot has on the ground?” 

I grinned in reply. “Sounds fun.”

“Barry and Clark will work together on civilian clear-up duty. Remember, get in, get one out.”

Boy-Scout looked like he wanted to protest.  But!” he exclaimed, “We all know who is responsible for this! I _must_ bring that monster to justice. He can’t be allowed to get away with this!”

“I will be looking into that particular issue,” growled the Bat, halting the Boy-Scout’s passionate rant mid-way through.

The two looked at each other, the Bat scowling up at the Boy-Scout, the Boy-Scout looking down at the Bat with those damn noble blue eyes of his. Their charged gaze seemed to go on for several minutes, yet mere seconds later, the Boy-Scout sighed in mock defeat, and smiled.

“I suppose it is better left to you,” he acknowledged, and nudged the Shrimp, who was still listing his newfound fears. “Bet I can beat you down to the bottom of the building.”

“This time, you’re buying brunch,” laughed the Shrimp, distracted from his fears. He began readying himself by stretching before falling into that ridiculous pose of his as he waited for the signal from the Bat.

“Let’s get the job done,” said the Bat.

In a stroke of blue light, the Shrimp accelerated down the side of the building, the Boy-Scout gaining quickly behind him. With a dramatic swish of his long black cape, the Bat shot out a line from his grapple-hook and began to swing across to the next building.

However, the Luthor-bot must have somehow noticed our approach, for a heavy, gigantic hand swatted the Bat from the sky, causing him to tumble down and down to the ground far below.

Then the Shrimp caught him and gave him a cheeky kiss.

* * *

 The Shrimp ran liked he kissed, like he wasn’t sure where to put his foot once it landed, but he caught the falling Bat squarely against his skinny chest, landing with a pained oomph against the rocky ground.

“What was that for?” growled the Bat, as he pulled the Shrimp upright. Although even shorter than the Shrimp, the Bat still dominated the younger man, his presence larger and more prominent. Through the cowl of the mask, his intense black eyes quickly scrutinised the kid, assessing his injuries and cataloguing the information for later like any good commander would do.

The Shrimp grinned up from that ridiculous cherry coloured mask of his. “I had a job to do. You said ‘Get in, Get one out.’ ”

“I meant the civilians, Barry,” responded the Bat firmly. “The priority of this mission is the civilians. We come second, especially me.”

The Shrimp nodded reluctantly. Like a bolt of lightning, he sped into the fray, collecting fleeing civilians from the ongoing battle, leaving the Bat alone to his task to apprehend the real villain orchestrating today’s catastrophe.

High above, the Princess and Three-Eyes were hammering the gigantic robot that had taken over Metropolis. The robot was throwing out taunts, its loud booming voice advertising the weaknesses of the Princess’s heart, and the lack of an actual heart in the case of Three-Eyes.

As the robot crushed buildings or demolished cars, the Boy-Scout was holding up pillars, or stopping the ginormous mechanical foot from killing those trapped by the falling debris or held up by the mob of crazy, mind controlled people.

Below, on the streets, I won the battle.

It was your typical Tuesday night for us.

* * *

 As usual, we won the battle.

Like an over-eager puppy, the Shrimp leapt towards the Bat, giving him a quick, chaste peck on his lips. I couldn’t tell whether the Bat’s lips had curled into a grimace or the beginnings of a smile as the Shrimp happily exclaimed: “Victory Kiss! We did it!”

Boy Scout reeled back in astonishment. “Flash,” he said, his accent becoming more Southern in his astonishment, “We don’t kiss our team-mates!”

“Oh?” asked the Princess, her beautifully shaped eyebrows arching elegantly. “Me and my sisters would share our joy in this way. Is there something wrong in this?”

“Erm,” spluttered the Boy Scout, his face flushing in embarrassment as he tried in vain to find an appropriate reply.

Ignoring the Boy Scout’s embarrassment, the Princess continued serenely: “If so, then I, not Barry, is to blame. When Barry asked how to forge better bonds between us, I told him the traditions of my people. He has taken them to heart.” Here the Princess tilted her head, and smiled at the Shrimp with an affectionate look on her face. “Do I not get my ‘Victory Kiss’, Flash?”

Blushing, the Shrimp flashed over to her, and gave her an innocent kiss on her perfect sculpted cheek.

“Thank you,” murmured the Princess graciously, causing the Shrimp to turn an even brighter shade of red. She carefully turned the Shrimp in the direction of Three-Eyes, and commanded him very gently: “Now the others, Barry.”

At the Shrimp’s wide eyed-look, the Princess nudged him towards Three-Eyes.

Shyly, the Shrimp gave the spluttering Three-Eyes a kiss on his central blue eye. In the space of time that Three-Eyes one human eye briefly fluttered closed, the Shrimp had given the dumbfounded Boy-Scout the merest brush of a kiss against a bruised hand.

“Do I not get my ‘Victory Kiss’?” I smirked, as the Shrimp appeared in front of me. Leaning down towards him with a predatory teasing grin, I began to pull him towards me, making an exaggerated smoochy face as my mouth edged closer and closer to its target. Realising that I had the slighter man trapped in my firm grasp, the Shrimp’s wide brown eyes widened as I playfully asked for my kiss.

The Shrimp held up a hand, pushing my face away from his. For such a small and delicate hand, there was a surprising amount of strength behind the push. “No,” he murmured, “I don’t think you deserve one yet.”

Letting the Shrimp free, I threw my head back in laughter, my body shaking with mirth. “I do not deserve a ‘Victory Kiss’?  Were you not part of the same battle, little Shrimp? I defeated many enemies and helped capture the Luthor-bot. Now, I believe I am owed a kiss like the Bat and the others.”

“Bruce earned his kiss,” retorted the Shrimp earnestly. “He came back safe, or at least damaged than usual. Diana got hers when she didn’t fall for the Luthor-bot’s taunts. Victor got his for remembering he is always going to be human, no matter how machine he becomes. Clark got his when he let Bruce help, rather than taking on the problem all by himself like he usually does.”

The Shrimp’s little list of the others’ victories only made me chuckle more. “You have an odd definition of victory, Shrimp. I thought amongst surface dwellers, victory went to the last man standing.”

 The Shrimp looked up at me sharply. If he had been disappointed in me in my last disastrous attempt to convince him of my charms over the Bat’s, then now he seemed slightly disgusted by my behaviour. I could not fathom why, as my logic was perfectly sound.

“You should know that although it’s very cool that the rest of you seem up for charging into the jaws of death every Tuesday, that’s just not me. I’m here to make sure my first group of friends I’ve ever had survive. That’s what I would call a victory. I mean, if we defeat the shark, that’s an added bonus, but mainly, I’d rather everyone alive to have brunch or play pool or whatever it is a normal group of friends do.”

 “So, I won’t be kissing you yet,” continued the Shrimp firmly. “Not until you can wrap your fish brain around the concept of a ‘Barry Allen Victory’.”

“Fish brain? Call me what you like, Little Shrimp, but I will get a kiss from you one way or another.”

“Ah-huh. Victor calculated your chances as being less than 0.1%.”

“I’ll take it,” I said, determined to prove the little twerp wrong. It surprised me how much it irked me that the others had somehow ‘earned’ their kisses from the Shrimp, and I, heir to a kingdom and a proven warrior, could not.

To my annoyance, the Shrimp gave me an infuriating little smirk as he joined the others, the Princess drawing him closer into the rest of the group.


	3. A Kiss For the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Battle with the Luthor-bot, the Shrimp continues dolling out the kisses to everyone but Arthur.
> 
> Desperate, he asks the Shrimp how to earn a kiss. The Shrimp's answer causes Arthur to take drastic action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do not own any of the DC characters or comics.
> 
> This work is meant to written from Arthur's point of view. In the recent Justice League (2017) movie, he seemed like the kind of person who calls it like it is and doesn't shy away from situations. In my head-canon, he has given various members of the JL nicknames:
> 
> Shrimp: Flash - Barry Allen  
> Bat: Batman - Bruce Wayne  
> Three-Eyes: Cyborg - Victor Stone  
> Princess: Wonder Woman - Diana Prince  
> Boy-Scout: Superman - Clark Kent
> 
> This is most likely the last chapter, but I am planning an 'outtake' chapter.

After the battle with the Luthor-bot, it seemed like the Shrimp took every opportunity he could to tease me in every way possible over the kisses he gave the others. If I didn’t know the Shrimp better, it was almost as he was flaunting it over me.

The Bat and the Princess would almost always receive shy kisses on the cheek, or perhaps brief, chaste kisses on the mouth.

Whenever the Shrimp gave the Princess one of his hasty kisses, she would always chuckle softly, causing the Shrimp to flush an unearthly shade of red. Like the Princess she was, Diana would always solemnly thank the Shrimp despite his fumbling, awkward smooches.  It only caused him to flush even brighter and flash away elsewhere in embarrassment.

If the Bat had any reaction to the Shrimp’s near daily assault of his face, he never showed it. He simply continued whatever the latest job was with his usual solemn, grumpy expression. For some reason, the Shrimp always took this as permission to babble about various nonsense, from the best pizza take-away in Gotham, to his latest favourite J-pop album.

Boy-Scout hadn’t quite gotten used to the way the Shrimp would suddenly kiss everyone else. Flushing the same cherry-red as the Shrimp’s suit, he would self-consciously turn his head away as the Shrimp gave the rest of the team his latest round of kisses.  While fiddling with that ridiculous cape of his, the Shrimp would always surprise him by jumping over and gently brushing his lips against Boy-Scout’s anxious fingers. It was quite entertaining to watch this human colossus be defeated completely by the most in-experienced kisses I have ever seen.

Three-Eyes and the Shrimp had inconceivably become the best of pals in the interim. The kisses the Shrimp gave that robotic lump of metal were always teasing, mischievous things, causing the usually serious Cyborg to release a loud burst of actual, genuine laughter. The two had even created their own ridiculous little handshake, which they had proudly demonstrated to an exasperated Bat, who had merely shook his head in frustration at their combined antics.

Battle after battle, skirmish after skirmish, I had not yet earnt any of the Shrimp’s kisses. At first, it was a mild annoyance, one that I could easily solve by defeating a few monsters or taking down the latest evil plot. As the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, the mild annoyance I felt evolved into an obsession. I was determined to discover, once and for all, how to get a ‘Barry Allen Victory Kiss’ of my own.

* * *

 

“Is there not some quest I could perform?” I groused, after the Shrimp had informed me, once again, that I had still not yet earnt my kiss.

“No,” laughed the infuriating Shrimp.

“But,” I complained, “How have I not earnt one of your kisses, when even the Bat has?”

“No,” repeated the Shrimp, still laughing. “You’re still not getting it, you must be slower than the others.”

“Buuuut,” I whined again, “I am not like the others. Kissing Miss Princess, I get -  I mean _mhmm_ , what guy could resist kissing those dangerous lips? But the Bat and Three-Eyes? What’s with that? It’s definitely not as hilarious as kissing Boy-Scout pink.”

“And,” I continued, “you know you and I would have a lot more fun.” To make my point, I gave the Shrimp an exaggerated wink.

“I like Bruce and Victor,” replied the Shrimp, rolling his eyes at my antics.

“And you don’t like me?” I mocked gasped as the Shrimp attempted to splutter a reply.

“I don’t _like_ you, I like you – I guess? I haven’t really ever had friends before Bruce invited me to join the League, so I don’t know how to _do_ this,” here the Shrimp frantically waved his hands between us to make his point.

“With Bruce and the others, they’re more themselves in a way. It makes it easier for me to learn what I’m meant to do about this whole “Friends Save the World” club. But you’re still _pretending_ , still trying to be half of a whole when you don’t need to be.”

I stared down stupidly at the Shrimp as he gave an awkward shrug, uncomfortable with my suddenly intense gaze.

“I am not ‘pretending’” I replied, voice firm. “I am King of Atlantis, wielder of-“

The Shrimp simply patted my shoulder consolingly, and walked away.

* * *

 

 At first, I attempted to reassure myself that the Shrimp’s words had not affected me. That I did not understand what he meant.

My time spent with the League continued much as it had done before: the occasional battle against the latest Supervillain, the continual re-emergence of the Lex’s playmates, the Legion of Doom, and the Shrimp dolling out the kisses left and right.

But the Shrimp’s words rolled through me like a slow, building thunderstorm. As the thunderstorm built, it set off a chain reaction. I became distracted during battles, and my distraction led to self-doubt about my abilities as a warrior and a King. My self-doubt caused me to hesitate and misjudge where I should strike in battle. I began to get more injuries than even the self-sacrificing Bat. Initially, I would laugh off the wounds, but when the others started to become injured, I knew I could no longer ignore the truth.

If things continued as they were, eventually someone would be killed due to my own ego. The League could survive giant robots, over-powered aliens, and wannabe dictators, but not the actions of a jumped-up fish brain.

As a noble King and a somewhat virtuous warrior, there was only one course of action I could take. I had to discover the Shrimp’s truth.

When I was next called to join the League for the usual weekly meetings at our little play-house, I barely listened as I sat through the Bat’s typical spiel on the many world ending threats the Earth faced this week. As the others filtered out of the conference hall, I squared my shoulders and grabbed the Princess before she could leave the room.

Her perfect eyebrows raised as I grabbed her flawless wrist. She must had read my intentions from my face, for her face lit up in one of her patented princess smiles, and handed over the object I desired.

* * *

 

Moments later, I cornered the Shrimp as he made his way to his guest quarters. As he looked at me with those wide eyes of his, I almost reconsidered.

How could I abase myself in such a way? Surely there was some other way to discover the Shrimp’s truth, and finally earn the kiss I so deserved.

But I knew the measure of my pride. I could not speak the truth without coercion. Ripping off the gloves I had worn for the occasion, I let the famed golden lasso of truth rest against my bare skin.

“When I was crowned King, I put aside myself for people. The kingdom was in turmoil, and could not be led by an uncertain King. I acted as I believed a true King of Atlantis would – someone strong, and capable, like my estranged Father before me,” I confessed to the startled Shrimp.

“I try to pretend I am just Atlantean, and deny my human heritage. A great King and a warrior cannot be divided in half, so I pretend I am whole.”

“I am too young to be broken. I have not spent enough time in either world, or gained the love of a beautiful women like the Princess. It is her I should love, not you and your weird bumbling moves and strange shaped spindly limbs-“

At that, the Shrimp yanked the lasso painfully out of my grasp, and kissed me.


	4. A Kiss For the Shrimp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shrimp (Barry) has finally started given Arthur some well deserved "victory" kisses. It's after one of these victory kisses that Arthur learns the Shrimp has found someone else to date. 
> 
> The Bat informs him the reason the Shrimp is trying to date someone else is because they could not function as a "unit". 
> 
> It comes as a surprise how far the Bat is willing to go for the Shrimp seeing as Arthur thought the superhero was more bat than man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do not own any of the DC characters or comics.
> 
> This work is meant to written from Arthur's point of view. In the recent Justice League (2017) movie, he seemed like the kind of person who calls it like it is and doesn't shy away from situations. In my head-canon, he has given various members of the JL nicknames:
> 
> Shrimp: Flash - Barry Allen  
> Bat: Batman - Bruce Wayne  
> Three-Eyes: Cyborg - Victor Stone  
> Princess: Wonder Woman - Diana Prince  
> Boy-Scout: Superman - Clark Kent

It was after kissing the Shrimp that I learnt he had found himself some other woman to date. The League had just returned from one of our typical missions, saving the world as usual from the latest flavour of madman. The Shrimp, as customary, was dancing between each of us, giving his routine sweet kisses.

When he stepped up to me, I couldn’t help the triumphant smile that grew on my face as the Shrimp’s lips brushed quickly across my cheeks. My arm snaked out, and just managed to pull him close before he could flash away.

“Were we not in the same battle, Shrimp?” I teased, “Do I not deserve another kiss for landing the final blow on our foe?”

“No,” blushed the Shrimp, wriggling quickly out of my grasp. “I have a date tonight.”

It was a very Shrimp way to dump someone. Before I could even protest, the Shrimp had leapt over to Three Eyes to give him his kiss.  I could hear Three-Eyes ribbing the Shrimp, demanding as many details as possible. It was extremely annoying listening to them bantering along, the Shrimp happily answering all Three-Eyes’s questions while the rest of us subtly listened in, except for the Bat who had whooshed out of the room to do his typical dramatic brooding. 

A hand touched my shoulder sympathetically. I must have been staring after the two quickly disappearing figures, because the Princess was able to catch me off guard with her touch.

“What?” I grunted, narrowing my eyes at her as I began to walk away. In quick efficient strides, the Princess managed to match my pace. She was as beautiful as ever, her long mahogany hair tumbling in gentle waves down her back.

“Did he know?” she asked, delicately leading me out of the room and back into the main part of League headquarters.

I scoffed. “Of course he knew!”

“How did he know?” asked the Princess. She always asked the moronic questions, but I was somehow caught for words.

“Oh, Arthur,” sighed the Princess, sounding gentler and regal-like than normal as she gave me another kindly pat. It was quickly becoming a record. I resisted the urge to swat her arm away, as it was the kind of silly thing that the Shrimp would have exchanged a kiss for.

The Princess seemed to gauge my train of thought as she gave me her patented princess advice. “What one does when faced with the truth is more difficult than you’d think.”

“What one does when faced with useless advice is to ignore it,” I countered, brusquely brushing her off.

Angrily, I stalked off to my quarters, leaving the Princess and her sage comments behind me, stomping as I went. I could hear the echoes of the Shrimp and Three-Eyes’s conversation up ahead. Slamming my fist against the wall, I relished the sound of silence as the bricks and mortar crumbled in my hands.

“No need to damage my property,” cautioned the Bat as peeled away from whatever shadowy corner he had sequestered himself in. “I didn’t pay for a state of the art gym facility for you to bust a hole in a wall whenever you cannot control your emotions.”  Even still half-hidden in the shadows, I could see the sneer in the curve of the Bat’s lips as he spoke.

“You should try it, Mr. Doomsday,” I spat back at him.

“I have,” replied the Bat in an ominous tone. He advanced closer to me, his intense black eyes flashing as he positioned himself close enough, so I could see the minute nicks and scratches on his cowl. His warm breath tickled my beard as he whispered in a dangerously cold tone: “It did not go well for me.”

“Excuses, excuses, Batsy,” I taunted, aggressively forcing my face into his.  It was not in the Atlantean way to yield from any fight. “That’s why the Flash has decided to find someone who can process _actual_ feelings.”

A strange sound emitted from the Bat’s throat – a laugh. “You really _do_ have fish for brains,” he grumbled in semi-astonishment, as he caught my arm in his iron-clad grip. “My analysis of the situation says that he left because we could not function as a unit.”

“I’m told I “function” well above the average man,” I retorted meanly, “so a “unit” is unnecessary.”

“It’s not about us,” replied the Bat evenly, “It’s about what Barry wants.”

I threw my head back as laughter overtook me. It was too funny, too strange to even contemplate. The Bat and I together? That was what the Shrimp wanted? Maybe he was more injured from our recent fight than I had originally thought. As ever, the stoic Bat looked unfazed by my reaction.

“Not just us,” continued the Bat. “The whole team.”

I stared at him for a beat, and blankly repeated: “The whole team? As in Robo-cop, Goody-two-shoes, and Miss Universe?”

“All of us,” confirmed the Bat, “or none of us.”

“I’ve always kinda digged orgies,” I joked lightly as my traitorous heart skipped a beat or two at the prospect of regaining the Shrimp from this stranger he had replaced me (us) with. By the Bat’s returning smirk, I was sure he could hear it hammering away, we were standing so close, chest to chest.

“Of course, you’re on board,” he said, beginning to draw away from me. “I’ll run it past the others.”

“That’s bound to go well,” I murmured sarcastically. 

“Hmph,” was the Bat’s non-reply. Before he could fully retreat into the shadows, he paused, and then with deliberate thought, softly touched my face with his gloved hand, his fingers sweeping across my exposed throat. “This is for Barry,” the Bat warned me, squeezing with just the right amount of pressure to make his point.

“Obviously, Bat,” I replied dryly as the Bat kept his hand gently wrapped around my throat.

“Good,” he growled, pulling his hand away carefully as he withdrew back into the shadows to hunt down his next victim. Rubbing my sore and bruised throat, I couldn’t help the shark tooth smile that grew on my face.

A strong man was strongest alone, except when chasing down a speedster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Arthur automatically assumes Barry wants a sexual relationship with the whole team.
> 
> However, Batman knows better. Barry's more into romance and the occasional group cuddle. Not that he's going to tell Arthur that. It'll provide weeks worth of entertainment.


	5. A  Kiss For Just Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur tracks down the Shrimp on his date with "the woman", Iris, in a familiar cafe. To his surprise, the rest of the team join him for moral support, and provide some advice.
> 
> There's also some slight Bruce/Clark if you read between the lines.
> 
> Final chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do not own any of the DC characters or comics.
> 
> This work is meant to written from Arthur's point of view. In the recent Justice League (2017) movie, he seemed like the kind of person who calls it like it is and doesn't shy away from situations. In my head-canon, he has given various members of the JL nicknames:
> 
> Shrimp: Flash - Barry Allen  
> Bat: Batman - Bruce Wayne  
> Three-Eyes: Cyborg - Victor Stone  
> Princess: Wonder Woman - Diana Prince  
> Boy-Scout: Superman - Clark Kent

The date was the Shrimp’s all right- confident and posed, an example of what every woman aimed to be.

Peering over the glossy café menu, I glared as the romantic scene unfolded before my eyes. The woman was smiling up at the Shrimp, her bright laugh loud in the semi-quiet of the café. As usual, the Shrimp was stumbling over himself and his words as he attempted to ask the woman what she would like to order.

When I had learnt where the Shrimp had planned to bring his mysterious date from the Bat, I had been surprised. A trendy café named after somebody’s favourite cat near downtown Central City was not the kind of place that I envisioned the Shrimp would choose for any first date. It was the kind of place that would be used as the setting in one of those ridiculous made for TV movies.

There was a cheery, chatty barista who was distributing drinks to the group of hipsters crowed around the counter who were discussing the latest Surface news. Underneath the noise of their chatter was the annoying sound of some light pop music. On the sofas and tables around me, couples or friends sat near each other and enthused over the coffee and their lives. In the busy café, I was the only person sitting by myself.

* * *

 

“Hey Arthur,” greeted the reassuring southern drawl of the Boy-Scout, “thanks for saving us some seats.”  He was dressed in a red and black checked shirt, old-fashioned horn-rimmed glasses framing his famous baby blue eyes. For some reason, he was slouched behind the Bat, who was wearing the most ridiculous getup: A Metropolis Supers baseball cap slung low over his face and a matching number 6 jersey.

As they slid on the seats beside me, I glanced towards the Shrimp and his date to make sure they hadn’t seen us. Of course, the Bat immediately commanded: “Let’s focus on the mission on hand.”

“Bruce,” admonished Boy-Scout as he scooted his chair closer to the table, his knee knocking gently against the Bat’s, “let’s at least wait for Diana to get our drinks.”

“Diana?” I hadn’t seen the Amazon enter with the rest of the cavalry.

“Of course, we all came!” exclaimed Boy-Scout, picking up one of the menus and offering it to the Bat. “I think Victor has patched up into the café’s security feed, so I guess he’s here in a spiritual sense…”

“We agreed that a ‘tin-man walking into Jitters’ would not make the right impression,” added the Bat, as he waved Diana over. The gesture looked strange, and I realised that I had never seen the Bat act so relaxed except when he was in his Wayne persona.

Seeing us huddled together, Diana strode over, several steaming cups arranged carefully on a tray. Leaning over in her tight black jeans, she gave the Bat and Boy-Scout a congenial smile as she distributed their drinks – a colourful fruit smoothie and a plain black coffee.

“According to Victor, the probability of this event occurring was less than 0.1%,” added Diana as she slid in the chairs beside us, forcing the Bat to scout closer to Boy-Scout.

I scoffed. “I’ve dealt with worse probabilities.”

In response, the Bat slurped loudly from his smoothie.

* * *

 

Ignoring the others light chatter, I watched as the Shrimp’s first date continued. He had returned to their table with two steaming cups in hand and attempted to slide one over to the woman. With his usual clumsiness however, the cup drifted towards the end of the table. Even with his super-speed, he barely caught it in time, before laughing nervously.

The woman gave a tinkling laugh and reached out to the Shrimp’s quivering hands. “I’m nervous too,” she admitted softly.

“Good,” replied the Shrimp, smiling at her in return, “I was worried that it was just me.”

“Nope,” returned the woman, “I don’t normally do this, but when you asked, I thought: why the hell not?”

“Iris West, fearless journalist, afraid of a date?” joked the Shrimp self-consciously.

“No,” replied the woman Iris, her captivating dark eyes peering at Barry over the rim of her coffee cup.

“Arthur,” the Bat called softly, his hand preventing me from rising from my seat, and striding over to remove that infernal woman. “We will not achieve our objective that way.”

“I _will_ send all the piranhas I know if you tell _anyone_ about this,” I threatened as I glared down at the Bat. “It is against the nature of Atlanteans to run away from battle.”

Boy-Scout patted the Bat’s knee in an overly familiar gesture. “What Bruce means is that Barry probably won’t like it if you knock out his date.”

“I wasn’t going to knock her out,” I replied surly. “I was merely going to-“

“Summon a horde of piranhas?” finished the Bat. He took another long sip from his smoothie. “You need to revaluate your interrogation strategy, Arthur. They are becoming very one dimensional.”

“Coming from the man that does it dressed as a Bat,” I threw back at him.

“Boys,” sighed Diana. She leaned in over the table and gave us her signature “disappointed in you” look. She inclined her head towards the Shrimp. “Look,” she commanded.

* * *

 

We both turned to see the Shrimp slowly get up from his table as his date called out after him a confused tone: “Barry? Barry?”

He made his way straight to us, picking his way carefully through the tables and chairs and couches, blinking every so often as if we would disappear at any moment. As he drew closer, I felt myself rising from my seat, like a fish slowly being reeled closer to the surface of the water.

Standing in front of our table, the Shrimp looked at us carefully one by one, as if to reassure himself that it was truly us. His gaze landed on me last, shocking me with a sudden jolt of electricity. I stepped closer to the Shrimp, sure that I was smiling wider than even he was.

Distantly, I could hear the clack-clack of the woman - Iris’s – heels on the wooden floor of the coffee shop as she followed Barry up to our table.

“Barry? What’s happening? Who are these people?”

“My friends,” replied Barry, introducing us one by one in his typical quick-fire manner, “that’s Diana, she’s lovely, you’ll like her, and Clark, he’s a journalist like you, so you’ll have lots to talk about, and Bruce, is, er, a sports enthusiast, and Arthur is-”

“His boyfriend,” I smiled down at her in my most intimidating manner. To her credit, she did not flinch even when I loomed over her by a good foot or two. I turned away from her and focused on the Shrimp.

“You’re not – you didn’t ask,” said the Shrimp, stumbling over his words like he usually did.

“It is not in the nature of Atlanteans to ask permission,” I replied. “But I do now.”

“Ask him _properly_ ,” hissed Diana from somewhere behind me, with the Boy-Scout even chiming in with a helpful “Be a gentleman, Arthur.”

I ignored them and kept looking at the Shrimp. At the way he kept staring back at me, and the way he nervously flexed his muscles, his weird and misshaped body. I looked at the person, the superhero, the boy and man, and knew against all the odds, I had fallen for him.

 “I am his boyfriend,” I repeated.

“I’d prefer Bruce,” smiled the Shrimp, and gave me a real kiss. A kiss between just us, and no-one else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the last official chapter of this fic! I have written some other scenes, but felt that they wouldn't fit into this story or were too cracky for my liking. I may post them as separate short one-shots, but will think on it. Just to *tease* my readers though, here's an idea of some of those scenes:
> 
> -Flash visits Atlantis. Turns out he's been made Arthur's consort. He's not pleased.  
> -The Martian Man-Hunter joins the team, and opens the team's minds to each other. Barry sees some of Arthur's fantasies, and they are much more cuter than he expected for a warrior-king.


End file.
